And in the morning,
I remembered them.

During my time studying in the South East of England, I seem to have made a habit out of journeying to France on the 6th of June. Of course, Calais was judged to be unsuitable in comparison to the beaches of Normandy, but for a reason which I cannot explain, I seem unable to stop wondering what if the beaches of the Pas de Calais had been chosen for the greatest seaborne operation in history, and how this quaint city might have been the starting point for the liberation of Europe from fascist tyranny. Might Operation Neptune have succeeded? How many more of those landing on the beaches might have been lost, or saved? Regardless of this, on the early morning of the 6th of June, 1944, Allied bombing of the historic city began with ferocious intensity, in an effort to deceive the occupying forces that the area would soon be swarming with Allied soldiers. The deception was ultimately successful, and with most of France already having been liberated, Canadian forces entered the city on the 1st of October, 1944.

My own crossing of the Channel, 74 years after D-Day, was much more peaceful. My tyres remained intact for the entire trip (note if interested to hear the full story), and I was able to visit the Les Baraques Military Cemetery to pay my respects. Curiously, many of those laid to rest there had been commemorated since the First World War, and I was particularly moved by graves commemorating those members of the Chinese Labour Corps, most of whom perished as a result of the 1918 flu epidemic. Having spent the best part of the day in contemplation and solemnity, to see this beautiful sunset, our local star casting light on a strait that does so much more to unite the UK and France than to divide us, was rather heartwarming.

Hope you enjoy!